I Know You Care
by asapscraggy
Summary: Iris might not want to admit it, but Cilan is sure she will miss him.


_A/N_

_I have been listening to Beyonce's 7/11 nonstop for the past few days and one day when I heard her sing "I know you care!" I just thought of Iris and Cilan. So then this little thing was born. I hope you like it!_

**I Know You Care**

_Three vests, four pairs of pants, six shirts, six pairs of socks, one suit._ Cilan did a mental count for the fourth time to make absolutely sure he remembered to pack everything he needed. This trip was extremely important for his career as a Pokémon Connoisseur and he wanted to make a good impression. He was ecstatic to be spending five days learning and sharing with other talented connoisseurs. Yet as excited as he was, an (embarrassingly large) part of him would miss his dear friend.

Behind him, he could hear Iris mumbling to herself.

"Who in the world would want…Connoisseur conference...five days...bunch of little kids."

Cilan smiled to himself as he placed the last of his bow ties on top of the neatly folded clothes in his suitcase. Since she returned from Johto a little more than 3 weeks ago, she had been staying with him and his brothers at the Striaton gym.

He didn't want to admit to himself how nice it was having Iris around.

She mostly helped out with the restaurant. Of course, she was not allowed anywhere near the kitchen, but Iris was surprisingly adept at waiting on the customers. He had assumed she wouldn't enjoy something like waiting tables, but she loved talking to all of the customers, especially the ones who brought their Pokémon in with them. She was becoming somewhat of a celebrity among their regular customers who by now were asking for her whenever they visited.

Her second favorite activity was arguing with Chili whose temper did not mesh well with Iris's teasing. When the gym and restaurant closed in the evenings she spent the rest of her time with Cilan. They strolled through Striaton City or watched TV or played with their Pokémon. Sometimes they battled each other. Their most special moments, at least for Cilan was when they just talked. It was through these talks that he learned Iris was putting off returning to Opelucid City because she was nervous to start training to become a gym leader. It was rare that Iris showed any vulnerability and he felt honored that she was comfortable enough to do so with him. They had grown closer in these last few weeks than they had during their whole time journeying together and he was definitely going to notice her absence for the next five days.

He turned around to see Iris facing his window, arms folded, a comically childish pout on her face. She was still mumbling about his upcoming conference.

Grinning to himself he turned back around and busied himself with zipping up his suitcase.

"Is there something wrong Iris?" he asked innocently.

"Huh?" Iris jerked her gaze away from the window. "What are you talking about Cilan? There's nothing wrong with me."

"It just seems like something is on your mind," he said. Cilan turned to face her. "You've been mumbling over there for a while. Is there something bothering you?"

He gave her a sweet grin and Iris, wide-eyed, took a small step backward. Cilan almost thought he had her, but she recovered quickly and stood up straight once more.

"Nothing is _bothering_ me," Iris retorted. "I'm just wondering how anyone would want to spend five whole days listening to boring lectures from people who are a big pain." She side-eyed Cilan with a sly grin. "But then again you are a big pain yourself so I guess you'll fit right in."

Iris lifted her chin up, feeling accomplished with her teasing.

Cilan, as usual, didn't take the bait.

"Is that so?" he asked, chuckling. Iris frowned a bit, disappointed with his lack of reaction.

"Yes that's so! And I hope you know that I'm happy to have a break from your annoying lectures for a week! I'm not going to miss you at all while you're gone!" She crossed her arms again and turned back to the window with a dramatic _hmph_!

Cilan merely smiled fondly at Iris and finished zipping up his suitcase.

"That's okay Iris," he began, lifting his suitcase from the bed. "no matter what you say, I know you care." He set his bag on the ground. "I'll see you in a week!"

With that, he lifted the handle on his suitcase, and smile on his face, he walked out of the room.

Iris was still blushing by the time he exited the gym.

**End**


End file.
